Our Mission, Values & Beliefs

Focus for First Church

A statement of mission defines why we are here. A vision statement articulates what it looks like to achieve our mission. Values statements support our work and provide guidance for our actions.

Our Mission

First United Methodist Church and it’s Congregation are here to create a community where God’s love changes people and God’s people change the world.

Our Vision

Connecting in faith, growing in grace, serving in love and sharing in hope, First Church is a place where people come to connect with God, each other, our community and the world, so that we all may be transformed.

Our Beliefs & Values

We believe that God is love and that God loves all people unconditionally.

We believe, as Christians, that Jesus is the decisive revelation of God embodied in a human life.

We believe that God intends for people to be whole and fully alive, and that Christianity offers a way to fulfill this intention.

We believe that Christianity is one faith among many, that there are multiple paths to God and that Christians are called to respect all persons and other faiths and spiritualities.

We believe that Holy Communion is a gift offered to all, without restrictions or requirements.

We believe that our faith calls us to service. As a response to, and reflection of, God’s nature and character, we are to serve others.

We believe, as United Methodists, that faith is grounded in Scripture, tradition, reason and experience, and that Scripture is a chorus of voices which sometimes disagree.

We value that John Wesley (our founder) and the early Methodists placed primary emphasis on Christian living — on putting faith and love into action. This emphasis on what Wesley referred to as “practical divinity” has continued to be a hallmark of United Methodism today and here at First Methodist Church.

We believe that humanity is inherently diverse and that differences are to be honored.

We believe that the United Methodist motto of ‘Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors’ is true to God’s vision and to the life and teachings of Jesus, and includes all people regardless of age, race, gender identity and orientation; nationality and ethnicity, or any other barrier to a sense of belonging.